ANNA'S POV There was no way on Earth I was going to share a bed with this spineless wolf, I declared to myself.When Alpha Lartes had said it, bile had shot up into my throat as I was filled with disgust.I would rather stay in the pig sty than stay with an imbecile.I watched as Uncle and nephew argued our fate, my fingers crossed that for once the spineless imbecile, I was forcefully yoked with would show a bit of spine and refute his uncle's decision but it turned out that once a coward, always a coward.And so I walked, with my head held high and my heart feeling like one condemned to her death along with the maids, to the room of my betrothed.As we walked in, my eyes opened wide at the splendor of the room. The splendor was so magnificent that it left me, a princess dumbfounded.The Black River Pack was indeed evil. To live in such splendor when the people in other packs met their deaths from starvation showed the level of their callousness.I walked around, admiring the room,
ANNA'S POVI wished so badly that I could turn back the hands of time and change my actions. I would have allowed his head, which was full of sods, to roll to the ground instead of innocent Reed.Slowly, I spat out all the grapes into my hands, my tongue all of a sudden turning bitter.I threw them back into the bowl and walked to the bed where I went and slumped into its soft embrace.I was exhausted. More from anger than from the journey.I needed a plan and I needed it fast. I needed to take my vengeance.Moreover, my imbecile fiancé was a liability to me. With him in my way, he made my task more risky.I needed to move very fast before he destroyed my chances of saving my people.As I devised my plan, my mind drifted off to my father and Kira at home till it finally drifted off to sleep.I was awakened moments later by the voice of a woman talking above me.I opened my eyes fast, my mind waking with so much speed that my body quickly positioned itself in a defensive position read
XAVIER'S POV"Stop here," I said to the driver.The carriage creaked to a stop, the hooves of the two stallions coming to a halt."Come and pick me up at this exact spot by nine p.m.," I instructed the driver before opening the door of the carriage and climbing down.I walked to the front of Phillip's Bar and got in casually.I had already donned my coat and hat back in the carriage. I had my head slightly downwards, avoiding eye contact with anyone in the bar.I went over to the counter and plopped into a chair."What would you have Sir?" The barman asked me."A glass of water would do," I said.My body was craving alcohol so badly. I needed it to be able to get over the exhilarating events that had happened today.Losing my comrades most brutally and gaining a demon as a roommate all in one day was something that needed one to get drunk to a stupor over but I could not. There was work to do.But a little alcohol wouldn't hurt.The noise of drunk men and giggling women filled the air
XAVIER'S POV "I was almost caught. I slipped out of the guard's reach narrowly and it was thanks to Harrison," Abigail said with a sombre look. Harrison. The sound of his name brought sadness and guilt to me. "When he came into the hideout from the tunnel, it took the guards by surprise and so I acted on that and dashed out of the room," Abigail explained further. I felt guilty. Why was I not there? I deserved to be there. I deserved to be killed and not them. I also did not tell them that I was with Harrison. I did not tell them that he had been tortured before his death. I did not tell them that it was he who had saved me from death by warning me not to come out. "It was bloody Xav! So bloody," Abigail said as she broke down into tears. I held her in my arms once again. It was so hard to see her in tears. The last time and first time I had seen her in tears was years ago when she had been narrating to me the story of how she had seen her father's head in a box. "I'm sorry.
XAVIER'S POV "What?! Why?!" Chorused the four people with me.I was looking at no one in particular as I wondered to myself why I had blurted that out in the first place."Has the devil finally bought over their Alpha?" I heard Tim ask."But that is impossible! I stayed in the Black River pack for a while about a decade ago and I know Alpha Faustus! He is a good man and a great leader. He would never join an alliance with a tyrant!" Peter protested."Well, it could be that Lartes has him in a chokehold. We know how dubious that man can be," Tim said.I was quiet hearing their debate and considering whether to let them know the truth or not."So what is it? Do you want to recruit her as one of us?" Henk, who had been quiet through the debate, finally spoke.I turned my head to face him sharply as if a tear had cut through my skin."Of course not!" I spat out of my mouth as if I had tasted something disgusting."I don't know why she is in the palace," I lied and I hated myself for look
ANNA'S POV I soaked in the huge bathtub far longer than I should have. But my plan to delay in the bathroom proved fruitless when they came for me."Ma'am! We have a lot of preparations to do before time and we are running late," A maid said after knocking on the door.The voice sounded strange and unlike that of the maid who had earlier woken me up.I drew in a deep breath and went under the water. My aim was to drown. At least that would save me the shame of attending the feast in rags as I would be in recovery or maybe in hell.In less than a minute, I came up for air gasping hard.I could not do it. My wolf had been thrashing inside of me in fear —She hated water so much.After catching my breath, I sighed.I had no choice but to attend the party after all.But I had a new resolution in mind. I would wear my old, raggedy clothes and walk into the feast with my head held high.I was the princess of the Black River pack and no one should have the power to make me feel less than I w
ANNA'S POVI stared back at a totally different person in the mirror.Had it not been for the jet-black hair which I inherited from my mum, and the piercing green eyes which were a souvenir from my dad, I would not have recognized my reflection in the mirror.I turned my face from side to side as I admired myself.While I was sleeping, my makeup was done in the most simple, delicate yet elegant style that brought out an innocence to my face and my hair had been styled into an intricate braid down my back.The problem was that, now, Lartes and Xavier were going to think I was truly enjoying being with them.And now, there was nothing I could do. If I requested that they cleaned it up, they would think I was crazy.In the reflection of the mirror, I watched as one of the maids brought forth a beautiful dress from one of the gift boxes laying on the ground.It was an off-white dress, with the bodice made of silk and the full skirt made with the finest chiffon."Ma'am, please get up," the
XAVIER'S POVI had lost track of time and when I arrived at the front of the bar to meet my carriage, it was almost ten p.m and I was so late.My uncle had informed me of the welcome party and engagement announcement he had planned for the green-eyed witch today.And I had promised him I was not going to attend and he had threatened to lock me in the dungeon.Not that his threat scared me, but I knew if I was locked up, I would not have the opportunity to oversee my affairs of taking back my birthright and I currently had no time for delays.Quickly, I jumped into my carriage and I didn't have to say a word, my driver knew what he had to do."Yah! Yah!" The voice of the driver called out on the cold night as he whipped the horses urging them to run faster.I would have preferred to run in my wolf form, the air coursing through my grey fur, my paws slapping and lifting off the bare Earth, easing my mind and connecting with my true form but I had no time to clean up lest I mess myself u